Wednesday, December 31, 2008

I was quite fortunate that the best player that year, Jeff Babb, was upset by Chris Cooley sometime in a middle round. Thus I didn't have to play Jeff, and I beat Cooley in the 8th and final round. I scored 6.5 -1.5 (3 draws) and if I recall correctly I won the trophy on tiebreak over Cooley and Babb. I also seem to recall there were over 80 players, but I may be wrong.If anybody knows - please leave a comment.According to my recopied scoresheets there were 3 rounds on each of the 27th and 28th, 2 rounds on the 29th. The draws were with the still active John Remillard and Richard Lindsay, and J. Bradford.I do remember Eric Jefferson giving me a ride from Tec Voc to the Free Press (which was on Carlton) for the photos.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

My intial impulse was 1. Qd5+ cd5 2.Bc3 mate, but it is not mate. But that little exercise highlighted that White's c4 is the weak spot.I tried several moves - Qf6, Qe6 but didn't get too far. I should have thought more about c4.The answer is 1. Qf4 !I'll post a few of the lines in a few days.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Kong- Wierda DRAWBlack would have had a good chance at the full point if he had played 33...Qd4.In the final position, Black has to find Qd7 to survive- perhaps Kong offered the draw knowing that was enough to win his Section.

Green - Greenberg 1-0Green confirms that in the game score 20. Bxa7 should be 20. Bxh6. If Black responds Rd8, the position is level.

Arie Wasserman - Evans 0-1White has no compensation for the lost exchange.

Aaron Green - Wiebe 0-1White suddenly fins himself in a mating net.

Gibbons - Letain 0-1Lorne loves the king walks.

Leor Wasserman - Swift 0-1Black was up a pawn, but would have to work to convert it into a win, but his task is made easier after 31. h4

Repa-Lauritson 0-1In the final position, Black is two pawns up and tricks involvng 22...Nf2+ are in the air.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Black's unusual opening gets him in trouble.Not sure why 22. f3 was rejected, but White wins an exchange anyway.Black does his best to mass his pieces for a potential winning attack, but Les doesn't find anything and neither did I. But the silicon beast suggests 36...Nxg2 37. Bxg2 h3 ! and Black may have drawing chances.Later, did both players miss the relative simple 41...Qxe3, winning for Black! So I am going to speculate that time trouble was a factor

Green-Kong 1-0Black grabs a tainted pawn with 29...Qxb4. He may missed that White has 32. Qxg6 which nets him a piece.

Greenberg- Wierda 1-0The knight on e5 is a monster.

Aaron Green - Arie Wasserman 1-0

Wiebe - Evans 1-0White sheds a piece with 27. Bxa6? thinking he can win the knight pinned on the g file. But Black doesn't find 29...h5 preserving the knight at the cost of a pawn.In the game, the resulting king and pawn ending may be holdable by Black, but he takes his king away from White's queening square.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Kong - Greenberg DRAWWhite wins a pawn but needs to squeeze the maximum out of the position due to the opposite coloured bishops. Therefore, 19. Rb1 and taking on b7 with the rook is much stronger than taking on b7 with the bishop.

Wierda - Jim Green 1-0Black missed a chance..30...dxe4 31.fxe4 Qc6 wins a pawn - if 32. Rxb5 ...Rc2 and it is all but over.

In the game, 38...Bxe4 would get him out of impending trouble as 39. Bxe4 is met by ...Qh3+ winning. White's best is 39. Kh2; Black will still have to contend with the passed b pawn.

Evans - Aaron Green 0-1White is unsure where to put his king in the endgame and he hands Black three tempo by my count starting with 43. Ke3. 43. h3 looks like it secures a draw and also gives Black chances to go wrong.

Gibbons - Swift 0-1White spoils a good position by playing a move that he must have thought mated.